Mount Hood National Forest

Barlow Ranger District- Located in the eastern portion of the Mount Hood National Forest, the Barlow Ranger District offers outdoor recreation from hiking and camping, to fishing in the White River and boating in any number of lakes.Clackamas River Ranger District- Located in the southwestern portion of the Mount Hood National Forest, the Clackamas Ranger District offers an assortment of outdoor recreation from hiking, biking and camping to fishing in the Clackamas and boating in various lakes.Hood River Ranger District- Located in the northern portion of the Mount Hood National Forest, the Hood River Ranger District offers outdoor recreation from fishing in the Hood River to hiking and camping in the Columbia and Mount Hood Wildernesses.Zigzag Ranger District- Located in the eastern and middle portions of the Mount Hood National Forest, the Zigzag Ranger District offers outdoor recreation from fishing in the Salmon River to Huckleberry picking in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness.

Description - Located twenty miles east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley, the Mt. Hood National Forest extends south from the strikingly beautiful Columbia River Gorge across more than sixty miles of forested mountains, lakes and streams to Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mt. Jefferson. Visitors enjoy fishing, camping, boating and hiking in the summer, hunting in the fall, and skiing and other snow sports in the winter. Berry-picking and mushroom collection are popular, and for many area residents, a trip in December to cut the family's Christmas tree is a long standing tradition.

The Cascade Range Forest reserve was established in 1893, and divided into several National Forests in 1908, when the northern portion was merged with the Bull Run Reserve (city watershed) and named Oregon National Forest. The name was changed again to Mt. Hood National Forest in 1924. Some popular destinations that offer rewarding visits are Timberline Lodge, built in 1937 high on Mt. Hood, Lost Lake, Trillium Lake, Timothy Lake, Rock Creek Reservoir and portions of the Old Oregon Trail, including Barlow Road.

There are 189,200 acres of designated wilderness in Wilderness Areas on the Forest. The largest is the Mt. Hood Wilderness, which includes the mountain's peak and upper slopes. Others are Badger Creek, Salmon-Huckleberry, Hatfield, and Bull-of-the-Woods. Olallie Scenic Area is a lightly roaded lake basin that provides a primitive recreational experience.

Attractions
- The Mt. Hood extends south from the strikingly beautiful Columbia River Gorge across more than sixty miles of forested mountains, lakes and streams to Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mt. Jefferson.

Some popular destinations that offer rewarding visits are Timberline Lodge, built in 1937 high on Mt. Hood, Lost Lake, Trillium Lake, Timothy Lake, Rock Creek Reservoir and portions of the Old Oregon Trail, including Barlow Road.

There are 189,200 acres of designated wilderness in Wilderness Areas on the Forest. The largest is the Mt. Hood Wilderness, which includes the mountain's peak and upper slopes. Others are Badger Creek, Salmon-Huckleberry, Hatfield, and Bull-of-the-Woods. Olallie Scenic Area is a lightly surfaced road lake basin that provides a primitive recreational experience.

Recreation - The many visitors to the Mt. Hood National Forest enjoy fishing, camping, boating and hiking in the summer, hunting in the fall, and skiing and other snow sports in the winter. Berry-picking and mushroom collection are popular, and for many area residents, a trip in December to cut the family's Christmas tree is a long standing tradition.

Climate - Climate on the Mt. Hood changes with elevation.The area receives a high amount of precipitation. Much of the precipitation comes from October to April in the form of rain at the low elevations and as wet heavy snow in the higher elevations. Although snow is possible in the lowest elevations, it is infrequent. Late spring, summer and early autumn tend to bring clear, sunny days with moderate temperatures.

Location -
The Mt. Hood is located twenty miles east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest stretches about 60 miles south from the Columbia River. The Forest Headquarters is located in Sandy, with District offices in Dufur, Estacada, Mt. Hood-Parkdale, Welches, and Zigzag, Oregon.

Current Conditions & Trip Reports

Trip Reports:
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This is an invaluable resource for determining what to expect on your outdoor adventure, so please participate! To prevent spamming, you must be a registered user of Wildernet in order to submit a trip reportFiled By: Anne
(Portland, OR)
Number of People Encountered: 0-10 pplRecommend to a Friend: HighlyReport: My sister and I tried our snowshoes for the first time at Snow Bunny, across from Trillium Lake. You have to walk along a snow covered access road for about two miles, but then you get into some pretty cool back-country. We went on the yellowjacket trail. I think it was about 6 miles round trip. Try to stay off the cross-country tracks because they get pretty upset when they have to make new tracks. We had to cross over a stream and crawl under a fallen tree. Make sure your feet stay dry or you'll be miserable. We used ski poles to help us stay balanced. This was a nice trail for beginners because the farther you go, the harder it gets, so you can judge when to stop.

Additional Information:Columbia River Gorge/Mt. Hood Area - Mount Hood serves as one of the most popular recreation areas in the Pacific Northwest. Mount Hood is the tallest of Oregon's Cascade peaks and rises to 11,239 feet above the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.Oregon National Forests and Parks - Oregon offers a vast amount of federal land, much of it encompassed within its 13 National Forests. The Park Service sites in Oregon include Crater Lake National Park, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon Caves National Monument and the Fort Clatsop National Memorial.